The present invention relates to a railroad tie stacker. More particularly, it relates to a device and method for efficiently stacking railroad ties either in what is known as a German stack configuration or in a tram stack (pyramid stack) configuration.
Railroad crossties are usually delivered to wood preserving plants where they are treated and then delivered to areas of the yard where they are temporarily stored for air seasoning. The German stack configuration usually is used to give the crossties an opportunity to air dry with plenty of air circulation while minimizing flat spots where water may pool on the crossties. However, the mechanisms used for stacking the ties usually have bottlenecks that slow down the process so that the full rate of the sawmill cannot be used.
Another known stack configuration is called a “tram” or “pyramid” configuration, which is used for loading the ties onto trams, which are then driven into large pressure vessels. Once loaded, these vessels are closed, and the ties, complete with the trams on which they are loaded, are immersed in a preservative solution, such as creosote, and are held there under pressurized conditions.